Gen X Crystal Cruisers

[Mr Luxury]

35 minutes ago, parallax said:

I'm a member of Generation X.  I have the pictures of me in flannel to prove it.  We cruised on Crystal twice and we loved it.   Our daughter cried when we disembarked the Symphony the first time.  I hope new Crystal does well and is able to capture the spirit of the original Crystal.  Only time will tell.   We are going to take a wait and see approach with Crystal.  

Good post and a wise decision.

[May B]

On 2/26/2023 at 2:54 PM, Mr Luxury said:

Keith I'm a bit more sceptical than you and have taken quit a few cruises and land based vacations whilst many here have been sitting at home waiting for Crystal to re emerge. 

I get the same old crew,same old ships,same old hotel directors,same old guests might float your boat but and the big but is. there are brand new owners.

Manfredi does things his own way and has his own ideas.

I hope for everyone's sake reckless or cautious that everything works well and that we all have another cruise line to sail on.

Many? You’ve counted?

[Post it]

In order to attract the Gen X crowd, Crystal may need to look at the music offered on board.  I was quite surprised that one night's entertainment in the main theater consisted of Doris Day songs. 

[Cruise-y]

1 hour ago, Post it said:

In order to attract the Gen X crowd, Crystal may need to look at the music offered on board.  I was quite surprised that one night's entertainment in the main theater consisted of Doris Day songs. 

Good post for this topic and good food for thought. I'm old but I was once put off by a misogynistic comedian who is loved by many here.

[KenzSailing]

2 hours ago, Post it said:

In order to attract the Gen X crowd, Crystal may need to look at the music offered on board.  I was quite surprised that one night's entertainment in the main theater consisted of Doris Day songs. 

 

Yeah, but I think this is the Catch 22 most of, if not all, the lux lines are caught in.  I've been watching a lot of video of the other lines in this bracket, and I've been struck by the similarity and datedness of their main stage entertainment offerings. I feel for any entertainment director reviewing the customer satisfaction surveys after debuting a main stage show that's something other than the "Rat Pack 2023 Revue."

 

And don't get me started on the Four Lads shows.....I mean, enough already.  

[Roland4]

11 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Yeah, but I think this is the Catch 22 most of, if not all, the lux lines are caught in.  I've been watching a lot of video of the other lines in this bracket, and I've been struck by the similarity and datedness of their main stage entertainment offerings. I feel for any entertainment director reviewing the customer satisfaction surveys after debuting a main stage show that's something other than the "Rat Pack 2023 Revue."

 

And don't get me started on the Four Lads shows.....I mean, enough already.  

We are on Silver Moon at the moment and the entertainment has been fairly good. The six-member cast is talented and the shows have featured Queen, (recent) Broadway, 60's British and an Italian Opera tribute that does not interest us. Other than they repeat over multiple segments, a common "problem", our only quibble would be the Broadway show featured songs that were sung as solos in the shows, Defying Gravity from Wicked, This is the Moment from Jekyl & Hyde, and don't really lend themselves easily to six-part casting.

 

There has also been a very good observational humour comedian. He did two one-hour shows without using a single curse word. Something unusual among what passes for comedy in this day and age!

Edited February 28, 2023 by Roland4

[bitob]

57 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

We are on Silver Moon at the moment and the entertainment has been fairly good. The six-member cast is talented and the shows have featured Queen, (recent) Broadway, 60's British and an Italian Opera tribute that does not interest us. Other than they repeat over multiple segments, a common "problem", our only quibble would be the Broadway show featured songs that were sung as solos in the shows, Defying Gravity from Wicked, This is the Moment from Jekyl & Hyde, and don't really lend themselves easily to six-part casting.

 

There has also been a very good observational humour comedian. He did two one-hour shows without using a single curse word. Something unusual among what passes for comedy in this day and age!

We enjoyed the ss entertainment. It is not the same style as crystal. No production type shows. But on each of 2 cruises the six performers were extremely talented and versatile.  Many standing ovations 

[AtA]

16 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Yeah, but I think this is the Catch 22 most of, if not all, the lux lines are caught in.  I've been watching a lot of video of the other lines in this bracket, and I've been struck by the similarity and datedness of their main stage entertainment offerings. I feel for any entertainment director reviewing the customer satisfaction surveys after debuting a main stage show that's something other than the "Rat Pack 2023 Revue."

 

And don't get me started on the Four Lads shows.....I mean, enough already.  

Funny because on the Regent Cruise we were just on, they definitely had 2 shows with updated music. However the problem was that so much of it was us saying, "what are they singing?" LOL

[Embowaf]

I’m a younger millennial and I’ve been going on Crystal since I was a young teen and have always loved it. But then again, I’ve also always been weird so. Whatever.

But, in the past few years, I was able to get some of my friends to go instead of it just being a family thing and we love it. Really hoping the rebooted Crystal will hold up in comparison.

I haven’t found the entertainment too “old”. For one, some of the artists they’ve done featured shows on like Billy Joel are not unknown to my generation, so it’s enjoyable. The broadway stuff is more cross generational.

And the artists that play in the cove are often classical anyway, which is pretty cross-generational, or sometimes when it’s a guitarist or whatever, they tend to be roughly millennial age anyway, so when I’m sitting there they’ll take a more modern request from me anyway.

Pulse has always had a fairly up to date selection too, so that works out well.

[LNugent]

My husband and I are both Gen X. We first sailed on Crystal while in our 30s. We have sailed more dozen of times on Crystal and have booked two cruises for 2024. We have also sailed a bunch on Seabourn. Crystal was always my favorite and I look forward to their return. The folks I have been in contact with at the “new” Crystal have been great. I like the new cabin categories and I think the pricing is good.  

[the_dylaness]

Not Gen X here... millennial, actually, although on the older edge of it (and hate to admit it because everything I read about millennials in the media is disheartening at best.)  

 

First Crystal cruise was in 2017 and second in 2019.  I would say that other than losing 1000s of dollars in deposits in the bankruptcy debacle, they were probably my favorite line to sail on if traveling sans kids.

 

For comparison, I've also sailed on (in no particular order) RCCL, Disney, HAL, Princess, Silversea, Seabourn, Celebrity, Carnival, & Norwegian.  I've booked Pullmantur as well which was cancelled (on my end due to inability to get time away from work) and also Viking (cancelled due to the Cuba travel changes) and will be trying Azamara and Regent soon. Cost wise, per person per day, everything from an inside on Carnival to a Star Class suite with a "genie" on RCCL and many (mostly) things in between.  

 

The size of Serenity was great for us- large enough to have some good evening entertainment (we really enjoy live music) and variety in dining, but not so large it felt like cattle-herding.  I was really amazed that on perhaps my 2nd day onboard on my first Crystal cruise an officer greeted me by title and name while I was getting breakfast in the buffet- that isn't necessary for me to have a good time but felt emblematic of the service Crystal offered.

 

I would say our other favorites were probably Silversea (we also just happened to have one of those great cruises, where everything went to plan or better, met great fellow travelers, etc, so I might be conflating some of the "stars aligned" aspects with the cruise but overall we had a blast) and Celebrity, because our kids like them (whoever said "happy wife, happy life" must not have had children!) Re: Celebrity, the price point is right for us to travel multiple times per year, and the size of the ship, children's facilities, etc suits our family travel needs. We'll see how the new cost-cutting measures there go- frankly I'm not optimistic.  We've sailed more with Celebrity than any other line.  Carnival was truly awful (unless you need to lose weight quickly?) and Norwegian was ok-ish but only in the Haven which even then was a poor facsimile of luxury but a good way to take kids cruising, I guess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rungirl1124]

My husband and I are Gen X and sailed on Crystal 4 times between 2011 - 2018 with our daughter.  We were booked on a 2020 Norway cruise (Covid) then rebooked Lisbon to London for 2022 (dang it!). We sailed with SB this past summer and while we did enjoy the trip, we would not choose to sail with them again.  We hope sail with Crystal again, possibly in 2024 and we look forward to reading reviews once sailings begin.  Our daughter will be an adult by then, so maybe we will leave her behind! 😜

[ak1004]

For some reason, nobody here mentioned pricing and itineraries. People mostly focused on the ship experience.

 

However, a lot of people in Gen X belong to a completely different category. Those are people who want to upgrade from the mainstream line to the luxury experience, or maybe they never did a cruise before and want to try cruising. Many of people in this category are itinerary hungry and price sensitive. They cruise to see the world. They don't care about cabins, butlers, afternoon tea, afternoon cookies, cabin size etc. They will be in ports most of the day, so don't care about entertainment or activities. They want to book the best itinerary at the lowest price, but still want to have a luxury experience on a small ship. Most of them probably never heard about CC.

 

Now, they Google "luxury lines" and see four major lines, then go and check itineraries and pricing. They see that they can book SS and SB for 15-20% cheaper, and most of the time, better itineraries with more time at ports, not to mention newer ships and larger cabins.

 

Which line do you think they will book?

[parallax]

Generation Xers are closer to retirement than the start of their career.  As one, I think the generalizations above are off the mark.  Many of use of have disposable income to easily afford luxury cruise lines.  We weigh different factors when deciding on what cruise to take.  Sometimes price or the  itinerary are factored more heavily in the decision-making process.  Other times, the ship board experience is more important.  

[ak1004]

2 minutes ago, parallax said:

Generation Xers are closer to retirement than the start of their career.  As one, I think the generalizations above are off the mark.  Many of use of have disposable income to easily afford luxury cruise lines.  We weigh different factors when deciding on what cruise to take.  Sometimes price or the  itinerary are factored more heavily in the decision-making process.  Other times, the ship board experience is more important.  

 

Agree. I can only talk about my experience. I travelled on SS in December with 5 other couples. All of them are in their early to mid 50s. All of them first time cruisers or upgraded from RCI or Celebrity. They took the cruise mainly because of the itinerary and pricing. Of course all of us enjoyed the ship experience, and two couples already booked another SS cruise (we booked two). But the price on all the cruises we booked was under $400 USD per night (including excursions). None of us would book any cruise that is over $500/night.

 

P.S. According to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X:

 

"the generation being generally defined as people born from 1965 to 1980"

 

That's early 40s to late 50s. Most people in this age range are still very price sensitive. There are many exceptions of course.

 

[fuentecat]

Gen X'er here wanting to give a shout out to my fellow X'ers.  It's nice to see some representation on this board, or anywhere for that matter. You could put me in the category of aspiring Crystal cruiser. I've lurked for years here and have often thought that the only way I could get my husband to try a cruise would be on a line like Crystal with excellent food, service, and no crowds.  What is still an area of hesitancy for me is the entertainment so I appreciate the comments above about the cruise lines needing to transition their offerings to appeal to someone like me, even though I may not be their primary market at the moment.  I wouldn't book if I knew the primary entertainment was going to be a Doris Day review or similar.

 

@AK1004 - I care very much about cabin quality, food quality, entertainment and activities.  If I was as price sensitive as you say, I'd be over on the Carnival board, not here on Crystal.  I will say though that I absolutely do not care about afternoon tea.  You had that part right.  May I suggest a poolside Reggae & Red Stripe trivia session instead?  

[bitob]

On 3/8/2023 at 9:31 AM, hypercafe said:

That's my point, those things are not important to me so I can spend my money on what I really enjoy.

 

On 3/8/2023 at 9:19 AM, ak1004 said:

 

Agree. I can only talk about my experience. I travelled on SS in December with 5 other couples. All of them are in their early to mid 50s. All of them first time cruisers or upgraded from RCI or Celebrity. They took the cruise mainly because of the itinerary and pricing. Of course all of us enjoyed the ship experience, and two couples already booked another SS cruise (we booked two). But the price on all the cruises we booked was under $400 USD per night (including excursions). None of us would book any cruise that is over $500/night.

 

P.S. According to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X:

 

"the generation being generally defined as people born from 1965 to 1980"

 

That's early 40s to late 50s. Most people in this age range are still very price sensitive. There are many exceptions of course.

 

I know folks in their 70's who are price sensitive.  I don't think we can generalize by age group.  What is probably true is that Gen X'ers are still working and really long cruises do not comport with their work life.  I would also venture a guess that ports are far more important to Gen Xers than us older folk who are very well travelled.  Gen Xers are still discovering the world and many places for the first time.

 

 

[ak1004]

38 minutes ago, fuentecat said:

 

@AK1004 - I care very much about cabin quality, food quality, entertainment and activities.  If I was as price sensitive as you say, I'd be over on the Carnival board, not here on Crystal.  I will say though that I absolutely do not care about afternoon tea.  You had that part right.  May I suggest a poolside Reggae & Red Stripe trivia session instead?  

 

I never said that those things are not important - I would take the smallest cabin on any of the luxury ships over the largest cabin on Carnival. Being price sensitive doesn't mean sailing on Carnival - we are price sensitive inside the luxury category. Yes, every line has its hardcore fans, but most people who sailed on any luxury line would agree they all provide great experience. So now it comes to itinerary and price. That's all.

 

P.S. I do like afternoon tea, but on port intensive itinerary, I probably wouldn't have many chances to attend it anyway..

[AtA]

4 hours ago, fuentecat said:

  I wouldn't book if I knew the primary entertainment was going to be a Doris Day review or similar.

 

 

I promise no Doris Day revues. LOL. On one ship they did have a Billy Joel revue and on the other it was Elton John. Both were excellent and my daughter and her roommate (both millennial) who were on one cruise with us loved the Billy Joel revue.

And the rest of the entertainment is usually excellent and will span generations somewhat.

[Boatdrill]

On 2/26/2023 at 11:45 AM, Mr Luxury said:

I'm finding it very strange how people put their money on an uncertainty.

Does that include in the casino ? 

 

[Cruise-y]

On 2/26/2023 at 1:45 PM, Mr Luxury said:

I'm finding it very strange how people put their money on an uncertainty.

People who cruise 10 times a year don’t care if they roll a dud once in a while 

[thebenz]

I’m a Generation Xer and I have cruised many times with Crystal since 2005 and my parents cruised Crystal since the line started.  I’ve sailed with my mother and I have wonderful memories of all our Crystal cruises especially as my Grandfather was a Master Mariner and mum would tell me stories of her growing up on her fathers ship and she would compare the formalities of cruising then to cruising now. I was one of the youngest  passengers on the ships in 2005 and some of the other passengers thought I was part of the crew.  I have loved cruising with Crystal at my age and my mother has enjoyed seeing me get the cruise bug. I hope I can be fortunate to keep cruising with Crystal. It doesn’t matter what generation you are from, you will find something that you will like to do, see, eat and  drink on a  Crystal cruise and you’ll never want to leave! 

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, thebenz said:

I’m a Generation Xer and I have cruised many times with Crystal since 2005 and my parents cruised Crystal since the line started.  I’ve sailed with my mother and I have wonderful memories of all our Crystal cruises especially as my Grandfather was a Master Mariner and mum would tell me stories of her growing up on her fathers ship and she would compare the formalities of cruising then to cruising now. I was one of the youngest  passengers on the ships in 2005 and some of the other passengers thought I was part of the crew.  I have loved cruising with Crystal at my age and my mother has enjoyed seeing me get the cruise bug. I hope I can be fortunate to keep cruising with Crystal. It doesn’t matter what generation you are from, you will find something that you will like to do, see, eat and  drink on a  Crystal cruise and you’ll never want to leave! 

 

 

Let's hope so as this is a new line.

Not long now to find out what it's all about.

[islandchick]

My husband and I are Gen X and really loved our Crystal cruise. I will say however that Crystal and all the cruiselines we have been on really need to update the music selection. They need to move to a classic rock and pop mix as the old music is grating on my nerves at this point. If I have to hear Sweet Caroline one more time I may just pull my hair out (and I used to like that song). Please Crystal hear my plea!

[RD64]

8 minutes ago, islandchick said:

My husband and I are Gen X and really loved our Crystal cruise. I will say however that Crystal and all the cruiselines we have been on really need to update the music selection. They need to move to a classic rock and pop mix as the old music is grating on my nerves at this point. If I have to hear Sweet Caroline one more time I may just pull my hair out (and I used to like that song). Please Crystal hear my plea!

That being said… I am a retired full time teacher that occasionally supply teaches. Yesterday during the last block for my Grade 1/2 class as part of Fun Friday we play music and the kids dance - kids pick the songs. It was a straight 1/2 hour of Sweet Caroline! I loved every minute of it!